As a doctor, you have an obligation to care for your patients and protect their personal data and information. This data includes personal, financial, and medical information. According to MedData, payment security is important to 90% of providers when collecting payments. There are many ways that you can keep payments and information secure when collecting payments from patients.
Do Not Store Unencrypted Information
When you are handling medical billing for OB/GYN offices, you must carefully protect patient information, including credit card information. This means these numbers are not left on sticky notes, typed in emails, or put in paper statements. Instead, you should consider using a software application that allows you to store and process credit card payments safely.
Payment Terminals with Chip Card Technology
The credit card companies created a more secure technology for accepting credit cards. This technology added a computer chip to credit cards that stores all the data about the card. This technology is accessed when the card is put in the payment terminal. This technology is not mandated. However, when it is not used, it creates a liability for the business, even when it comes to medical billing for OB/GYN offices, accepting the credit card. These readers are more expensive but can help combat fraud, which is even more costly.
Understanding Encryption Methods
The highest amount of security for payment data is PCI validated point-to-point encryption. This protocol insists that information is encrypted once it is swiped, dipped, or tapped. Furthermore, it ensures that the data is encrypted every step along the way while processing through the system. This includes the workstations at the medical billing for OB/GYN offices to the servers to the network. As a result, the credit card information cannot be determined even if someone manages to copy it.
If you keep these points in mind when you are handling payments and medical billing for OB/GYN offices, you can protect your patients and prevent fraud. Another step you can take to protect yourself is to have the payment card service provider sign a HIPAA business associate agreement. This is an extra step they do not have to take, but they may be willing to sign it as a way to protect people during credit card processing.
